Inspiration
by Jexy
Summary: Five years after Yomiko's disappearance, Nenene still goes to her apartment building monthly to bring new books and clean up a bit. Nenene and Anita find Yomiko. Nenene is flooded with the emotions she has always had for Yomiko but sees that Yomiko is "with" Nancy. Nenene has to deal with the idea that the woman she loves is with another. This is a one-shot


It's been five years since I saw my friend Yomiko. She was my inspiration to write and since her disappearance I've not been able to write anything. The paper sisters have been living with me for over a year now and they have helped some but nothing like Yomiko did. "Nenene. Can I come in?" Anita knocked on my door.

"Yeah come on in brat." I closed the empty word document I had opened and closed my laptop.

"Are you going to your friend's apartment today? It's been a month now." Anita toyed with the frog keychain she made for her and Hisa.

"Yeah it's about that time again. Why? You want to go with me?" A slight blush crossed Anita's cheeks. "You want to get away from your sisters for awhile don't you?"

"Yeah. All they do is read when there's no housework to do. And our detective business has been slow lately. I want to get out of the house."

"Alright. Make sure it's okay and I'll meet you downstairs." A big smile crossed the young girl's cheeks. I sighed as she ran out the door and down the steps. Laying my head back, I thought back on Yomiko. Without realizing, I held onto my locket that had our picture in it. "Where are you Yomiko?"

Xxx

Anita and I arrived at Yomiko's apartment building. I brought a bag full of different new releases that I thought she'd like. Anita worked on cleaning the bedroom while I aired out the place. "Why do you keep doing this? Every month for five years?"

"I guess I hope one day she'll turn up and be here reading a pile of books that I brought. I've thought about her never showing up but I think I'd still come each month. Just because it's become a habit of mine." After pulling my hair back, I hoisted the futon pillow over the balcony. I continued smacking the pillow to get the dust out. No reason for Yomiko to come back to a dust ridden home.

"So, was she your girlfriend or something?" Anita's question was innocent enough but it still caught me off guard.

"No. I mean, I love her and I believe she loves me back but it wasn't a romantic love. She always encouraged me to write and she always edited and critiqued my work. She was a substitute English teacher I had my senior year in high school." I continued working on the futon.

"What would you say to her if she turned up again?" I had never thought of that before. I just figured we would start to talk and it would be like no time had passed.

"Probably where the hell have you been for the past five years? Some nerve you have for not saying goodbye to me or telling me something; anything." My irritation showed through my beating the futon. Anita and I continued to clean in silence. Once I was done with the futon I sat down and looked through the bag of books. I left a note in the top book of every stack I left. When I came to _Midnight_, I opened to the dedications page. _To my friend Yomiko. You helped me more than you could imagine._ I personalized the signature when I signed it. The publishers gave me the very first printed copy of the book and that's what I left Yomiko. "I guess we better go kid."

"Okay." Anita hopped off the balcony ledge and started towards the door. Both of us stopped when we heard a key unlocking the door. Anita grabbed a few pieces of paper and held them at the ready.

When the door opened my heart raced when I heard a familiar soft British accent. "And this is my apartment." When her eyes fell on me she stopped. Neither of us spoke.

"Where the hell have you been?!" My heart raced as Yomiko's eyes grew wide.

"I-I'm sorry….I think you have me mistaken with someone else." She took off running outside and I after her.

"No one in their right mind would dress like you! Stop running from me!" Before she got to the edge, I tackled her to the ground. "Stop running from me!" I clung to my old friend and tears started rolling down my cheeks. "Why? Why did you leave without saying anything? I was so worried."

I could feel Yomiko's eyes on me. Comfort washed over me when she started to pet my hair. "Nenene." Her voice was breathless. "I'm sorry." She fell quiet and I felt her shift. "You're wearing glasses now? I guess we're both getting older."

"I just turned twenty three. You're the thirty year old." I moved to look at my friend's face. "Now stop acting like a child and stop running." A soft smile tugged at her lips.

"Why don't we move this conversation inside?" I agreed. The four of us moved inside and I reopened the curtains. I told Yomiko that I came to drop off books and clean up each month. I told her about the paper sisters as well. "Thank you for doing that. I've kept up with your writing Nenene. When I heard _Midnight_ was being made into a move, I was so proud of you. When the book originally came out, I bought a copy and read it in a day."

"Well at least one of us kept up with the other." I shot her a glare. She blushed slightly and sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so rude. This is Nancy. She's a friend of mine. I help take care of her. She was involved in an accident that left her with amnesia so I'm the only one she really knows." Nancy stuck to Yomiko's side.

"So you're the legendary paper master?" Anita tilted her head sideways. "You don't seem so powerful to me." My eyes grew.

"Shut up brat!" I pushed Anita over; making her hush. "Now apologize." All she did was stick her tongue out at me. "Brat." Yomiko and Nancy watched our actions. "So how long are you going to be in town for Yomiko?"

"I'm not sure. As nice as it was to live in a secret bookstore that had every book ever published, I missed the outside world. The sun on my face and…"

"The breeze in your hair." I couldn't help but finish her sentence. Nostalgia filled me remembering the conversations Yomiko and I had when we first started to know each other.

"Yes." Again, a soft smile crossed my friend's lips. I missed her tender smile. It was odd that we were so close because we were totally different. For the most part, Yomiko was shy and soft spoken while I was mouthy and outgoing. We continued to talk until sunset. Nancy fell asleep on the futon and I sent Anita home. As Yomiko tucked Nancy in, I went on the balcony. "I am truly sorry for abandoning you without a word."

My jaw tightened as Yomiko came to stand beside me. "I'm sure you had your reasons. I would just like to know what those were." I looked on into the sunset.

"I was doing a mission for the British Library but found out they weren't who I thought they were. They threatened to kill Donnie if I didn't cooperate. When they eventually killed him, I lost it. My power took over and I ended up burning down the British Library. After that I took Nancy out of the asylum they kept her in and ran. I promised her that I'd protect her from them. I never said anything to you because I didn't want you to get involved and in danger."

"I'm sorry about Donnie. I know he was your teacher…and lover." The thought of Yomiko with someone else put a squeeze on my heart. I envied them. As I glanced towards my friend I was mesmerized by the beauty I saw when the reds, oranges, and yellows of the sunset danced across her features.

"I got my revenge. Now that everything has blown over, I wanted a life outside of a bookstore again. I wanted to see you again and not just keep up with you. I know my parents are dead. They died three years ago."

"Yes. I went to the funeral. It was a very moving service." A single tear made its way down Yomiko's cheek. Before I realized, my thumb brushed away the tear. "Old habits die hard I guess." Yomiko and I stood in silence as the sun descended behind the buildings and the sky became dark. "You should come to my place one day. We can have dinner and you can meet the paper sisters."

"I would like that." She paused. "Can I bring Nancy? She's scared of most people and even more so of being left alone." Yomiko and I turned around to look at the sleeping woman.

"What did they do to her?" I looked at Yomiko for answers. She sighed and looked back to the stars.

"They took her memories. The memories of who she really was. She has a son somewhere who can phase through solid object like she could. When the accident happened and they "healed" her, they took away her memories." I listened on in horror.

"I see why you quit working for them. That's horrible." She simply nodded.

"Now that I'm free, I won't be leaving anytime soon. So yes, we will comes for dinner."

"I'm holding you to that." I turned and placed my hand on her shoulder. "If you run away again, tackling you won't be the only thing I do when I find you." Yomiko blushed slightly.

"I won't my friend." Yomiko surprised me when she wrapped me in a soft embrace. I laid my head on her shoulder. I was never one for hugs but I always made an exception with Yomiko.

XXX

A few days passed and we decided on a day when to have Yomiko and Nancy over for dinner. "Okay you two," I stood in front of Maggie and Michelle with my hands on my hips. "Don't swarm Yomiko like you did me. She's a very shy person when she doesn't have to protect herself." They agreed to be good. I knew Anita wouldn't bother her since she didn't even like books.

"Okay." Maggie went back to cooking as Michelle set the table. I couldn't help but be nervous as I waited for 7 o' clock to come. I jumped when I heard a knock on the door. Maggie, Michelle, and Anita waited in a line by the couch to greet our guests. When I opened the door, I was happy to see Yomiko.

"Come in." Both Yomiko and Nancy said their hellos and walked inside. "It's nice to see you again Nancy." I held out my hand to the fragile woman. "Yomiko, Nancy, this is Anita, Maggie, and Michelle. They are the paper sisters I told you about."

"Hello there." Nancy's voice was light. She clutched a book to her chest. She did the same at Yomiko's home. As we ate, there was small talk. Maggie and Michelle were fascinated by anything Yomiko had to say. It was funny seeing them each show off their different techniques when it came to paper. Nancy watched on in fascination. I couldn't help but feel for the woman. After what Yomiko told me I'm not surprised she's so attached. I couldn't help but wonder if they were a couple or not. The more I saw how they interacted the more I swore they were one.

"What's on your mind Nenene?" Yomiko's soft voice brought me from my thoughts. When I looked from the paper to her face, I could see worry in her eyes.

"Oh nothing. Just remembering when you first showed me your paper mastery." A small blush crossed Yomiko's cheeks. She always seemed to blush a lot when I spoke to her. I always wondered why that was.

The night went on and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was great seeing my old friend again. I had missed her so much over the past five years. Just seeing her brought back my inspiration. I had a feeling it was going to be a long night of writing. By the time people started to get sleepy it was close to three in the morning. "Since it's so late, why don't the two of you just stay the night? Maggie, Michelle, and the brat have their own beds. Someone can sleep on the couch and I have a blow up mattress for the last person."

"That sounds good." The sisters went to do their nightly routine while I got extra blankets. Once everyone was squared away I went into my room and sat down in front of my computer. Four pages in, I heard a soft knock on my door.

"Come in." I was surprised when I turned and saw Yomiko standing in my doorway. "Hey, can't sleep?"

"You know how much of a night owl I am." I smiled. It was true. That's how both of us got any work done. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." I saved the word document and gave her my full attention. "What's up?" She was quiet a moment as she sat on my bed. All Yomiko did was stare at her hands that were resting in her lap. "Yomiko?"

"How do you not hate me for leaving you like I did?" Her voice quivered.

"Because you're my friend." I went and sat beside the emotional woman. As I rubbed her back she rested her head on my shoulder. "Was I pissed when I first saw you and you tried to run? Yes. But after you explained why you left I understood." My fingers brushed the locket around my neck. "I always knew you'd show back up one day."

"What's in the locket? You didn't wear that before I left." Yomiko sniffled and sat straight. Her eyes went from my face to the locket.

"A picture of us." I opened the locket to show her. "It's the same picture as the one on my desk."

A soft smile crossed my friend's face as she pulled out a picture from her picket. "I always carry this with me. And if I don't carry it it's always near me." The picture was tattered and worn. It was of us one day we were out book shopping. A man had been selling photos on the street and I grabbed Yomiko and had him take a quick shot. Best money I ever spent. "Having the picture and reading your book helped me the past five years."

A small blush crossed my cheeks. "Well I've not published anything since _Midnight_ but it is being made into a movie." I paused glancing at my computer. "I am working on another novel though."

"Can I read what you have?" The blush grew knowing what the book was about. It was our story. Of course I changed the names and places but still. "Nenene?"

"Sure. It's on my laptop so no papers to touch." I walked over and grabbed my laptop. "I know how you like the smell of books and holding them in your hands."

"I'll just make sure to buy the first copy I get my hands on. I noticed you gave me the first printed copy and signed it." All I could do was bow my head.

"So you did look through the stacks I brought you." Yomiko smiled as she started to read.

"Of course I did." I sat there watching her speed read through the pages. I could read fast put nothing like that. Annoyingly I couldn't tell what Yomiko was thinking as she read. All that showed was a small smile here or there. Anxiety filled me because my feelings for her were written in. If she made the connection from the main characters in the book and us my feelings would be known. When she blushed I knew exactly which part she was either on or getting close to. I had forgotten about the sex dream I wrote about three fourths of the way in. "Oh my…" Yup. Sex dream.

"Uhm…Yomiko you can skip that part if you'd like…" She said nothing. I bowed my head. Knowing her, no matter how racy a part was she would never skip it if she liked the book. I just continued to sit there until her eyes stopped moving.

"How does it end?" Yomiko looked at me. There was a different look in her blue eyes. A look I've never seen before.

"I don't know yet. I've not finished." She smiled as she gave me the computer. "What do you think?" I couldn't look at her. I had to keep my back towards her until she answered.

"I enjoyed it. The characters remind me of us." The blood drained from my face. Oh God…here it comes. "Do you have feelings for me Nenene?" All I could do was stand there. I could feel myself start to tremble.

"You're taken so it doesn't matter." I tightened my jaw and clenched my fists. I was not going to cry over this!

"Huh?"

I turned towards the clueless woman. "You're taken by Nancy so my feelings for you don't matter." Yomiko's eyes grew wide and her cheeks turned red.

"Nenene, we're not…together. I simply promised her I would protect her. When we worked together they wronged her. And I felt like it was my fault because I couldn't save her. That's all. She became attached because I was the only one she could trust."

I suddenly felt like an idiot. I read their relationship all wrong and I'm a writer for Christ sake! "Oh…" I walked back and sat beside her on the bed. "I feel like an idiot."

"Don't Nenene." My eyes lingered on hers. They drifted to Yomiko's lips a moment and back again. A light blush crossing my cheeks. Without thinking, I leaned in slowly. Yomiko didn't try to stop me but a second before our lips touched we heard a scream from down stairs. Both of us ran down the steps and saw Nancy tossing and turning on the couch. "Nancy!" Yomiko ran to her side. "Wake up."

"Yomiko!" Nancy clung to Yomikko and cried into her shoulder. "They took my baby!" Yomiko rocked the frazzled woman until she calmed down. Maggie, Michelle, and Anita joined us in silence.

"Ssshhh it was a bad dream." As Nancy continued to cry on her shoulder, Yomiko looked at me with sorrowful eyes. She mouthed 'I'm sorry' and I simply gave her a nod. Once Nancy walk calm and lying down again, the sisters went back to bed. "Can we talk tomorrow Nenene?"

"Sure. Goodnight you two." I gave Yomiko one last glance before walking up my stairs and back into my bedroom.

XXX

The next morning I woke up and made my way to the kitchen. Thankfully Maggie knew to have a pot of coffee made for me when I woke up. "Morning Nenene."

"Morning." I yawned and stretched. It took a moment to remember the impromptu sleepover we had last night. When I glanced back into the living room, Nancy was still asleep and Yomiko was sucked into another book. "Do you ever eat Yomiko?"

"Yes when I need. I'll come get coffee when I finish this chapter." This woman is worse than I am. Worse than Maggie and Michelle combined.

"Alright. Suit yourself." I continued to drink my coffee and eat breakfast. The others joined us eventually.

"Michelle, Maggie, and Anita, could you take Nancy and go on a book hunt for me?" Their eyes lit up at the idea; well all except Anita's.

"Of course!" Michelle's high pitched voice was hard to handle this early in the morning. "What book is it?"

"Well it's a few actually." Yomiko gave a detailed list of about ten books. She told them to look for the 1st edition and get it if possible. After breakfast was cleaned up, Yomiko gave them money and sent them on their way. "Have fun and buy a book for yourself also." I was surprised Nancy went with them so easily. I guess since they were friends of mine she was okay.

Once I knew they were gone I turned to Yomiko. "So I know you sent them on a wild goose chase. And that you already have all of those books because I was the one who got them for you. What's this about?" I stood with my arms crossed as Yomiko sat on the couch.

"I wanted to talk with you about last night but we needed to be alone." Yomiko pushed her glasses back up her nose. She always did that when she was nervous. "I always knew you admired me but I always knew you loved me. But I didn't know you were in love with me. Not until I read your book." My jaw tightened. I just waited for the final blow where she rejected me. "I've never been with a woman before. I've just ever been with Donnie."

"Yeah I know." I sighed and took a seat beside Yomiko. "I didn't realize I was in love with you until I thought you were with Nancy."

"Last time I saw you, you were eighteen. And now you've grown up into a strong willed woman just like I knew you would." I could feel a blush cross my cheeks at Yomiko's words. "A beautiful young woman." The tone of Yomiko's voice changed causing me to look at her.

I just stared into her blue eyes. There was something different in them since she read my work last night. I was shocked when she started to lean in and gently placed a kiss on my lips. "Yomiko…" I couldn't help but deepen the kiss. I moved slowly not to scare the woman I loved. When I felt her hands move along my sides, I laced my fingers in her hair and pulled her close.

"Are you sure about this Nenene?" I positioned myself so I could pull Yomiko on top of me.

"Yes…"


End file.
